E3 2008: Guitar Hero: World Tour Microsoft Conference Impressions

Guitar Hero: World Tour is due for release later in the year, and as with any new Guitar Hero release, there's plenty of excitement about the track listing. Kaz revealed that in addition to the 85 songs that will ship in the game, REM will star in a new track pack while Metallica will upload its latest album on the same day as the traditional release. Then Huang revealed that Van Halen and The Eagles will also be coming to the Guitar Hero series, and they'll be completely exclusive to boot.

In addition to giving music announcements, Huang showed off images of its new drum and guitar peripherals for the upcoming title. The drums are a brand-new addition to the series, and they will feature traditional pads and cymbals as well as being completely wireless. According to Huang, the guitars will also feature a new "sliding mechanism," although he didn't elaborate further on what that means for the game.

There will also be new features such as an eight-player "battle of the bands" mode, as well as a Guitar Hero Studio that will let people create and share their own music in the game. Again, little elaboration was given on this detail, but Huang did say that the "GH Tunes" store will act as a front end for people to get ahold of new content for the game.

We hope to have a new hands-on preview with Guitar Hero: World Tour during the show, so keep an eye on GameSpot to find out more soon.